Here is a talk from Elder Bednar 2009 about technology. He told the Young Adults of the Church to read this talk in preparation for him speaking to them on Sunday. His talk will be called "Things as They Really Are 2.0" Here are a couple of paragraphs that I think you will love:
"Sadly, some young men and young women in the
Church today ignore “things as they really are” and neglect eternal
relationships for digital distractions, diversions, and detours that
have no lasting value. My heart aches when a young couple—sealed
together in the house of the Lord for time and for all eternity by the
power of the holy priesthood—experiences marital difficulties because of
the addicting effect of excessive video gaming or online socializing. A
young man or woman may waste countless hours, postpone or forfeit
vocational or academic achievement, and ultimately sacrifice cherished
human relationships because of mind- and spirit-numbing video and online
games. As the Lord declared, “Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment
… : Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy
talent that it may not be known” (D&C 60:13)."
"You may now be asking yourself, “But, Brother Bednar, you began today by talking about the importance of a physical body in our eternal progression. Are you suggesting that video gaming and various types of computer-mediated communication can play a role in minimizing the importance of our physical bodies?” That is precisely what I am declaring. Let me explain." ...
"You may now be asking yourself, “But, Brother Bednar, you began today by talking about the importance of a physical body in our eternal progression. Are you suggesting that video gaming and various types of computer-mediated communication can play a role in minimizing the importance of our physical bodies?” That is precisely what I am declaring. Let me explain." ...
"If the adversary cannot entice us to
misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to
beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and
physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us
to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And,
if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology
to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed
and engrossed in pixels, texting, earbuds, twittering, online social
networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet
that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss
the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital
displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that
can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience."
